The striking 129-bedroom venue designed by Leach Rhodes Walker will provide high quality facilities for airport passengers, local business users and restaurant diners.

The five-storey building will feature a restaurant and private dining room on the top floor where guests can enjoy stunning panoramic views of the airport.

London Southend Airport is operated by logistics and transport giant the Stobart Group and the airport’s managing director, Alastair Welch, says “High quality and convenient hotel facilities are essential ingredients of successful regional airports and an important part of our plans to modernise London Southend airport. This hotel will greatly improve facilities for passengers, as well pilots and flight crew using the airport, whilst also becoming an exciting new venue and resource for local businesses and people.

“We hope that they will make use of the facilities, particularly the restaurant. Our vision is to make this one of the top places to eat in the region.”

This is another hotel for Willmott Dixon, which has delivered nearly ten in the past year across the country. Its hotel sector manager Tim Wheeldon believes the Southend development is symbolic of the airport’s continued renaissance, “This hotel is a considerable investment and reinforces Stobart Group’s plans to develop the airport into a striking and modern new facility. We are working to a tight programme with completion scheduled before the Olympics, and we will be utilising local labour and suppliers as and when we can during the build and fit out process.”

He adds: “We are experienced hotel contractors and this, along with a healthy pipeline of additional work, underlines our ongoing commitment to the hotel industry.”

The operator of the hotel will be announced in due course.